Israel Asks Egypt to Take Armor Out of Sinai – Report

Arab paper: Israel was only informed retroactively about deployment of armored forces in Sinai.

By Gil Ronen

First Publish: 8/19/2012, 4:45 PM

Egyptian armor enters Rafah

Reuters

The Israeli government has asked Egypt to withdraw the armored vehicles it deployed in Sinai ten days ago, in contravention of the peace treaty between the two nations, according to Al-Quds Al-Arabi, which quotes Israeli sources.

Israel said that the deployment of armored forces in the EL Arish area was only reported to it retroactively by Egypt, after the forces had already been deployed. Once Egypt supplied Israel with the full details about the extent of the deployment, the Jewish state asked Egypt to withdraw its armor from northern Sinai.

"Security sources" told the paper that this is a moment in which the relations between Egypt's new regime and Israel are being tested. An Israeli source added that Egypt asked that the forces be deployed in Sinai until the end of the military operation against terrorists there, but that Israel does not know when the operation is scheduled to end.

Residents of El Arish in northern Sinai reported on August 9 that the Egyptian military had sent reinforcements of "unprecedented" size into the peninsula, according to the Egyptian Al Ahram newspaper. The forces reportedly include 60 tanks on 30 tank-transporters, 12 armored personnel carriers, 15 additional armored vehicles, more than 20 armored jeeps and 10 Military Police jeeps.

There was also a report that no less than 400 'Fahd' armored vehicles were sent into the Sinai.